F-8 Crusader

Vietnam 1963–73

Peter E. Davies, Jim Laurier, Gareth Hector

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781472857545
• eBook ISBN: 9781472857521
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

With specially commissioned artworks and dynamic combat ribbon diagrams, this volume reveals how the 'last of the gunfighters', as the F-8 was dubbed by its pilots, prevailed against the growing MiG threat of the Vietnamese People's Air Force. When the Vietnam War began, the F-8 was already firmly established as a fighter and reconnaissance aircraft. It entered combat as an escort for Alpha strike packages, braving the anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles alongside the A-4 Skyhawk bombers and meeting MiGs for the first time on 3 April 1965. Although the Crusader was nicknamed 'last of the gunfighters', its pilots employed 'secondary' AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles in all but one of their MiG kills, with guns also used as back-up in three. Its 20 mm guns were unreliable as they often jammed during strenuous manoeuvres, although they were responsible for damaging a number of MiGs. However, in combat the F-8 had the highest 'exchange ratio' (kills divided by losses) at six-to-one of any US combat aircraft involved in the Vietnam War. Through the copious use of first-hand accounts, highly detailed battlescene artwork, combat ribbon diagrams and armament views, Osprey's Vietnam air war specialist Peter E. Davies charts the successful career of the F-8 Crusader over Vietnam.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• CHAPTER 1 IN BATTLE
• CHAPTER 2 SETTING THE SCENE
• CHAPTER 3 PATH TO COMBAT
• CHAPTER 4 WEAPON OF WAR
• CHAPTER 5 ART OF WAR
• CHAPTER 6 COMBAT
• AFTERMATH
• SELECTED SOURCES
• eCopyright